The Common Whitethroat breeds throughout most of Europe, except the extreme north, and into Asia as far as Lake Baikal. It winters in Africa south of the Sahara. The migration starts in late July and goes on until early October while the return journey is in April and May. See the distribution map at Birdlife International.

It is a sturdy and long-tailed warbler with rusty-brown edges to the tertials and yellow-brown legs. The male has a grey head, a white eye-ring and a white throat. The female has a brownish head, a whitish throat and a buffy breast. However, it is sometimes difficult to identify the sex of birds except in the spring when plumage is fresh.